Student Awards

The Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies aims to support students in the endeavors at the University of Kansas and beyond! Listed below are scholarships and aid specifically for CREES students. For these awards, students are nominated by CREES faculty and staff. Award announcements are made in late Spring. If you would like to be considered for one or more of these awards, please fill out this application. Awards are subject to change based on funding availability.

The options in the sidebar include opportunities that are not specific to CREES that any student may apply for. 

For any inquiries about CREES scholarships and aid please contact crees@ku.edu. For general scholarship and aid questions, please contact the Financial Adi & Scholarship department at financialaid@ku.edu. 

Jarosewycz Family Scholarship- Up to $4,000 towards Ukrainian language classes 

KU students are eligible to receive up to $4,000 towards Ukrainian language classes. Any KU student is eligible and all are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to current REES majors and minors, as well as REES M.A. students. No previous knowledge of a foreign language is required. Incoming Freshmen will be given special priority. 

Clowes Russian Language Award- $5,000 per year

Thanks to the generosity of Edith W. Clowes, a former CREES Director and now the Brown-Forman Professor of the Humanities at the University of Virginia, and with the support of the Clowes Fund, the Clowes Russian Language Award supports graduate students in REES studying Russian.

George C. Jerkovich Award- $1,250 per semester

Established by CREES donor George C. Jerkovich and awarded to both undergraduate and graduate students, this award is intended for those who have shown a strong dedication to the study of Southeast Europe and the Former Yugoslavia. 

Palij Family Fund- $150 of academic books per year

An annual award given to a REES student who shows a strong dedication to Ukrainian studies.

Bramlage and Willcoxon Family Foundation Scholarship -$4,000 per year

Thanks to a generous gift from the Bramlage and Willcoxon Family Foundation, CREES provides an annual fellowship to a REES graduate student with strong connections to the state of Kansas. 

Norman E. Saul Travel Award- Funds vary on needs

Named after KU History Emeritus Professor Norman E. Saul, these travel awards support REES graduate and undergraduate students with professional development travel grants for research or to REES-related conferences. Awards are issued on a first-come, first-served basis. While any REES-related KU student is encouraged to apply, REES MA students receive priority status. You may receive multiple awards and you may apply more than once a year. If you would like to be considered for a travel award, please send a request via email

Laird Essay Contest- Undergraduate Award: $250 cash award; Graduate Award: $500 cash award and $75 worth of books (of their choice)

All University of Kansas students actively pursuing interests in Russian, East European and Eurasian studies (REES) in any KU academic program are eligible to submit an essay of 2,000 words on any topic dealing with the region.

KU Security Affairs Research Fellowship

This paid, semester-long fellowship provides students with the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the global security environment and how the U.S. military determines the operational environment. The fellowship is a cooperative project of the Foreign Military Studies Office (FMSO) at Fort Leavenworth, KU Center for Global and International Studies (CGIS), and KU Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (CREES).